Semiconductor memory devices, including flash memory, typically utilize memory cells to store data as an electrical value, such as an electrical charge or voltage. A flash memory cell, for example, includes a single transistor with a floating gate that is used to store a charge representative of a data value. Flash memory is a non-volatile data storage device that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. More generally, non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory, as well as other types of non-volatile memory implemented using any of a variety of technologies) retains stored information even when not powered, as opposed to volatile memory, which requires power to maintain the stored information.
As the number of memory operations that can be performed concurrently within a storage device increases, the number and size of the current spikes drawn by the storage device also increase. These current spikes can exceed the power supply capability of the storage device's power supply, even when the average amount of current drawn falls well within the power supply capability of the storage device's power supply. Furthermore, these current spikes result in uneven power signatures, and in some cases wasted power and increased wear on components of a semiconductor memory device.